Flaws and All
by AND U KNOW THIS
Summary: Sometimes flaws should be expressed not hidden, thats what the boondocks brothers will soon find out. R&R PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

_No I do not own the Boondocks if I did they would be waaay older by now. Plus if their SEXY owner, Aaron McGruder, wants to keep them the same age for ten years then that's fine with me as long as he stays fine for a LOOONG time._

**-*-*-**

Everyone has flaws, its what makes you human. So many hide flaws, to make them seem more than what they are. No one is perfect, some imperfections are worse than others, but they are all there. Some bubbling just below the surface of the subconscious, like the ones of Huey Freeman.

Huey Freeman, the elder of the two Freeman brothers, saw the world in a different, much darker, more pessimistic light.

He was logical, and intellectual. He knew his beliefs and if you tried to tell him to change he would give you ten reasons why he should not. The reason behind this is because he studied.

He studied of his political idols, such as Barack Obama, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Their essays, debates, books, speeches, anything that could give him any sort of information was permanently engraved into his mind.

This leaves many to wander. 'What is his flaw? A perfect, straight A student couldn't possibly have one. He eats healthy, and cares about the world, what could possibly be wrong with him?'. It may not be very prominent but the 'perfect' Huey Freeman was extremely flawed.

-

"BOY! Get your black ass down here and eat!" an elderly man hollered up the stairs of his suburban home.

An African American teenager rolled his eyes, closed his book and made his way downstairs. He didn't bother looking at the spread that was laid out of the table. He could smell the grease dripping off of the hormone injected 'food.'

Instead he went to into the kitchen and searched through the refrigerator for the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and grilled chicken he prepared before hand.

It was Wednesday, a.k.a. fried pork, collard greens, and chittlins night.

Huey wouldn't be caught dead even touching a chittlin after finding out what they were, or even before for that matter, and he despised pork. After having it every day of your life you'd hate the greasy, tough meat too.

"EUUUGH, how can you eat that crap?"

Huey's inward ranting was cut short due to his younger brother's voice. He looked up across the counter he was cutting a tomato on sending a glare at the younger Freeman, and immediately regretted it.

His glare turned to a look of disgust at the sight of the greasy chittlin dangling from the younger boys' mouth.

"Watch whose food you call crap," The elder grumbled.

"Yeah what evea nigga," Riley said rolling his eyes, "what are you some kind of hoe countin' calories and shit like you got somethin' ta loose?"

"I'm not countin' calories stupid, I just don't feel like eating the entrails of a pig."

"There you go wit dem big words again. Why can't you be like normal niggas and say normal words like _guts_ or somethin'?"

Riley Freeman was the opposite of his brother. He was smart but only showed it when defending his favorite rappers and his friends. He despised studying and preferred learning what he needed from TV, video games, and the 'streets'.

Half the time he was angry for some reason or another, and the rest of the time he spent putting himself into situations that would only get him angry anyway.

He hated how his brother, who started studying martial arts at the age of five, could always beat him in all their fights physically, verbally, and mentally and yet he was always the one to ignite them. His outlet for this anger was to beating the crap out of anyone weaker than him who crossed him on a bad day.

Unlike his brother his flaws were extremely prominent. All the younger Freeman had to do was talk and you could tell immediately what they were.

Huey rolled his eyes and continued to cut his tomato. "Why would I demean myself by using your level of vocabulary?" he winced slightly as his brother finished off his chittlin'. That poor pig, what a horrible way to die.

"Aye, I have a very big vocabulary you ain't demeanin yo self by usin some kinda _slang_ fo once!"

"Oh right you have a _very _big vocabulary I'm sorry I never noticed it before." The fifteen year olds tone clearly read _sarcasm_ as he made his way into the dining room with his now heated chicken and salad.

"Aye! I don't appreciate yo sarcasm nigga!" Riley yelled fallowing behind his brother.

"Whatever."

"Yall hush up! I'm _trying_ to eat." Granddad yelled as they sat down at the table.

"More like _trying_ to give yourself a heart attack by stuffing all of that artery clogging crap down your throat." Huey muttered earning a slap in the back of his head. "Ow!"

"I heard that! Don't make me bring out my-"

_Ding Dong!_

"Eat. I'll be right back."

"Yes Granddad." The two boys grumbled in unison beginning to eat their dinner.

"HI MR. FREEMAN!!" both boys cringed at the high pitched voice that ground through their ears like sand paper.

"Cindy." Huey hissed. He could have sworn he felt a few of his brain cells die at the sound of her voice. She was just that annoying… well to him anyway. He had a strong suspicion Riley had a crush on her.

"What's that uh-oh Oreo doin' here?" Riley grumbled 'discreetly' checking his breath and then his appearance in a spoon.

_Real smooth genius_, Huey though rolling his eyes.

"Boys! Get in here!"

Huey sighed and Riley groaned, though there was no annoyance behind it, as they made their way to the front door.

Jazmine stood next to her best friend with a happy smile on her face as the boys approached ",Hiya boys"

Huey looked at her and gave her a slight nod in greeting. He was extremely grateful that it want just Cindy at the door though he didn't show it. He could stand Jazmine's presence a lot more.

Riley looked between the two girls and stuck his hand in his pockets "sup."

"Hi Huey! Hi Riley" The two boys cringed and granddad walked away grumbling something about annoying white girls hurting his ears.

"Waddaya want?' Riley asked crossing his arms.

"Well we were wandering if you wanted to come spend the night over my house for my sleepover/pool birthday party." Jazmine said bowing her head slightly to hide the blush brewing on her cinnamon cheeks. Huey absently noted that he found this slightly… cute. But only slightly, he had a reputation to keep up, going soft was not a part of it.

Huey took this time to the young woman's profile. Now at sixteen, Jazmine had grown to be a very desirable young woman. She learned to tame her nappy puff balls and now styled it into hundreds of curly caramel brown slightly damp locks all around her head that accented her innocent green eyes fell down her back past her shoulder blades. She was taller and her curves filled out in all the right places leaving her with a bust, a butt, and a flat feminine stomach, which showed this newly developed figure in her current outfit.

In the place of a regular top was a bikini halter top that was black with aqua blue hearts. Her jean shorts were unbuttoned and unzipped to reveal her matching bathing. To finish off her look she wore black and blue bangles, earrings, and flip-flops. Any man who was straight and sane would stare at her.

Wile Huey's eyes were on Jazmine, Riley's were on Cindy. The years had also been gracious to the young woman, her hips and bust had filled out much like jasmines had but, unlike Jazmine she refused to hide them under modest clothing. She was the only white girl in the entire city with such curves and she flaunted them for all they were worth. This proved to be so in _her_ outfit.

Much like Jazmine she wore her bathing suit top in the place of a normal top but her top was a black and red tiger stripped tube top and all black boy-short bottoms. A short red sarong was wrapped around her petite waist and tied in such a way that it showed her entire left leg. A red clip held back her slightly damp hair and black strapped heels finished her look.

"Uh... Huey?" Jazmine said waiving her hand in front of his face ",are you ok?"

Huey shook his head slightly and knocked her hand out of his face ",_why_ are you having a pool party at eight o'clock at night?"

"Are you guys coming or not?" Cindy snapped getting tired of talking. She wanted to swim, and she'd be damned if she was going to waste any more valuable time on these two. Don't get her wrong she wanted them to come, especially Riley, but if they didn't want to come, they didn't want to come. She wasn't about to beg.

"Will there be other bitches there?" Riley asked suddenly.

"…um… there will be other _girls_ there… why?" Jasmine asked.

"Let's think about dis fo a minute. Hoes plus bikinis plus water equals _hell yeah I'm gunna be dere!!"_

Huey rolled his eyes at his brother's antics ", I'll go to supervise dumb ass over here, make sure he doesn't violate _too_ many girls" he muttered shrugging.

"Cool get your bathing suits and meet us there." Cindy said turning and walking to Jazmines house with her friend practically skipping along next to her. _Well _someone _is happy_, she thought smirking.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2(Edited)

"Jazzy you don't have to walk me home I ain't no lil girl I can take care of myself" Cindy sighed walking the streets to her house. On their way back to the party Cindy realized she left her overnight bag at home, so now they were on their way to the young white girls' house.

"Trust me I'm well aware you can take care of yourself, remember Donna? You beat the shit out of the biggest girl is school in less than a minute!"

"That's what the stupid hoe gets fo pourin' strawberry soda in ma hair," Cindy growled reminiscing on that day. "And so what if I beat her up in less than a minute I was mad and she didn't know how to fight, it didn't matter how big she was, if she cant fight, she cant fight."

Jazmine rolled her eyes ", I mean for such a pretty girl you know how to put that smack down" she giggled.

Cindy's smile fell ", don't call me that" she muttered.

The mulatto girl turned to her friend ", what?" She asked her smile falling also.

"I ain't pretty Jazmine, you don't have to lie to me" she stopped walking and turned away from her best friend trying to hide the sudden wave of insecurity that washed over her.

Jazmine stared at her friend in shock ", what do you mean you're not pretty?"

Cindy cleared her throat and began to walk again ignoring her friends concern for her, "I mean I aint attractive Jazmine, you know ugly"

"Says who?" Jazmine asked scrambling to catch up with the now speed walking girl.

"It don't matter, I know what I look like and I agree with them."

"Cindy what happened?" The mulatto asked her friend grabbing her shoulder, stopping any more progress to her home.

"Nothing happened I just had a realization that I'll never be as pretty as you or any of my other friends" Cindy shrugged without turning. If she did Jazmine would have plainly seen the tears threatening to fall from her icy eyes.

"If you aren't confident then why wear what you're wearing?"

"Because I know that's all I'm good for!" Cindy yelled suddenly knocking her friends hand off of her shoulder.

A tense silence passed between the two girls as Jazmine let her friends words sink in. Both were lost in their own confused thoughts until Jazmine decided to break it.

"Cindy?" Jazmine finally asked hesitantly. She put her hand on her friends shoulder again only to have it shrugged off for the second time.

The young white girl looked up at her friend with watering eyes "I-I have to go" she said as she turned around getting ready to run.

"Wait Cindy!" The mulatto girl called catching her friend by the hand and turned her around. She watched as a tear made its way down her friends pale cheek. She was getting worried now "What happened? Why are you acting like this?... Are you okay?" she asked placing a friendly hand on Cindy's shoulder for the third time.

Cindy didn't knock it off this time. She chose to bow her head and let a few tears fall instead. A few minutes passed in silence between the two girls until Cindy looked up into her friends lovely green eyes with her own bloodshot blue ones.

"Ill never be ok" The Caucasian whispered more to herself than to her friend. Before Jazmine could process the words she was on the ground watching her best friend go in the opposite direction.

"Cindy!" Jazmine called but it was too late her best friend disappeared around the corner at the end of the block leaving jasmine on the floor with nothing but her thoughts.

-

Cindy opened her front door and closed it behind herself as quietly as possible. She was well aware her stepfather was home. Her only hope was that he was sober, though she highly doubted it. She put a hand over her chest trying to still her rapidly beating heart.

"Cindy!" A deep male voice called from upstairs successfully stopping her heart completely.

"Y-yes?" she called back slowly making her way towards her backpack which lay three feet away from her. Being alone in that house with her stepfather was like being locked in a cage with a rabid wolf. Fear racked her body at the sound of staggered footsteps behind her. Before she could turn her body was thrust on to the door knocking the air out of her lungs. The potent smell of vodka invaded her nose as his lips came within inches of her ear.

"What do you want?" she asked threateningly despite the tears prickling in the back of her eyes.

"I already told you what I want" he said letting one hand run roughly over her petite, bathing suit clad body. "Do you remember what I said a few months ago?"

_Flash back_

_The elder man chuckled "What? No hello?" He asked smirking as he seated himself next Cindy. Her mother was upstairs getting ready for their date._

"_I don't say hello to people I don't want to see again" she growled scooting to the far side of the couch. She didn't like this man for many reasons but the main one was because he always found some kind of excuse to touch he in a way that she didn't like or want._

"_Cindy," A silence fallowed him saying her name. She didn't like the way he said it, his voice was husky like when he talked to her mom when they thought she wasn't listening. She didn't answer him, instead she settled on glaring at the TV. _

_He sighed seeing he was being ignored. Silently he scooted closer to her so she was trapped between the arm of the couch and his muscular body._

_Simon was an attractive man in many ways; she understood why her mother wanted him physically. He was a tall man with pitch black hair and tanned skin and dark eyes. He looked like he came right out of a male swimsuit catalogue._

_He wore tight shirts on a regular basis, much like tonight, he wore a black skin tight shirt that showed his muscles off perfectly under a grey blazer and a pair of casual slacks. He _looked_ handsome but his persona made him uglier than Flava Flave on a bad day. She smirked slightly at the analogy she created, it fit perfectly._

"_I really wish you would show me some respect sweetheart, I can severely harm everything you hold dear" He chuckled running a finger up her arm, he watched at her like a hungry lion as she flinched away from his touch._

"_I aint got nothing to hold dear" She growled trying to remain calm. "You took it when you stole my mom."_

"_What about your virginity? That can easily be taken" He smirked at the brief look of panic in her eyes._

"_I aint gonna be one of your lil hoes Simon" she said evenly catching his finger as it made its way past her belly button. She bent it back achingly slow until a satisfying crack sounded about the room._

_A grunt of pain came soon after, and Simon backed off of her cradling his finger. A small smirk made its way onto Cindy's face as he hissed and flicked his hand around trying to rid himself of the pain._

"_You bi-," He paused hearing footsteps coming down the stairs._

"_Simon I'm rea- Baby what happened to your finger? Its turning purple!"_

"_Slammed it in the door." He hissed placing the usual act of the 'innocent fiancé' into play._

"_Oooh! My poor baby!" The elder woman exclaimed, "Come on, lets get you some ice."_

_Cindy rolled her eyes ashamed to call this woman her mother. It didn't even look like it was slammed into a door. It _looked_ like someone bent it back and sprained it._

"_Dumb ass." She muttered changing the channel to _"Making the Band"

_End flashback_

Simon pressed his body roughly onto Cindy "I told you what I want. Now its time to get it" He looked down at with satisfaction at the pure fear behind her eyes.

"W-what do you mean" She asked loosing the black slang edge in her voice.

"Your virginity sweetheart, I wouldn't have thought you would have forgotten, I wasn't kidding" He closed what little space there was between their faces and caught her lips in a rough forced kiss. Tears fell from her wide horrified eyes as she tried to push him away, but try as she might she couldn't relieve herself of the foul taste that tried to force itself into her mouth. Thinking fast she bit down on the first piece of flesh that got close to her teeth that was not her own … which just so happens to be his tongue.

She bit down harder and harder until the familiar yet unfamiliar taste of blood and vodka filled her mouth. He howled in pain and pulled back trying to nurse his bleeding tongue.

She grunted as his fist came in contact with her left cheek, the force caused even her knees to go weak under her.

"You don't play with a mans desires little girl" he growled back-handing the other side of her face. "And I'm about to show you why" the lust behind his eyes magnified as he threw her to the floor.

"No, no please" she gave up on trying to fight, all there was left was to beg. She gasped as he grabbed the front of her bathing suit.

He ignored her pleas "This wont be pleasant" he chuckled.

-

At the party Huey and Jazmine sat on the side of her heated pool reviewing what happened between her and Cindy.

"Sounds like she has some self esteem issues" he turned to the mulatto teenager next to him "why didn't you fallow her?"

The birthday girl wiped her tears "Because she was long gone and I don't know where her house is" she sniffed.

Huey nodded "Has she been acting any different before this?"

"Nuh-uh she's never acted like this before"

"Well… the best advice I can give you is to just be her friend. Don't press her to tell you if she's not ready" He kept his voice at a simple monotone though his words were wise and sweet his voice held none of it, But then again that was typical Huey.

She wiped her tears "thanks Huey"

"Whatever"

"Hey! You wanna have a chicken fight?" she exclaimed regaining her shining deposition. It was amazing how fast she could bounce back.

He rolled his eyes "and _why _would I want to do that?"

"'Cause you're my best guy friend and I don't want to ask Riley" she pouted gesturing to the boy six or seven feet behind her sitting in a chair with two girls on his lap.

Something about the thought of Riley touching _anywhere _on Jazmines body made a strange feeling of jealousy bubble up in Hueys chest, "fine" he growled slipping into the heated water. He felt like he was in a bathtub not a pool and it annoyed him. He hated baths, and much preferred a nice long shower.

All thoughts left him when Jazmines smooth legs slipped over his shoulders.

_Hm… maybe this game wont be as horrid as I assumed, _he thought absently as he waded out into the middle of the pool to begin the game.

-

Cindy curled herself into a corner of her room; her stepfather's comatose body was downstairs. So many thoughts ran through her head but one rang out above them all, she had to get out of there before he woke up. A lamp to the head could only keep him down for so long.

Her bathing suit top was back on as well as a pair of jeans, her pink Sean John shirt and her all white forces as she stepped over her stepfather grabbed her overnight bag and was out the door.

-

"_Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" _Huey rolled his eyes. It escaped him why anyone would actually go through with drinking down not one, not two, but _three_ entire bottles of vodka. At least the hangover should get the poor soul off of liquor for good. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance then stood deciding he couldn't take it anymore.

"Where are you going?" Jazmine, who was sitting next to him, asked. They had long since changed into their pajamas so now she was in a pair of pajama boy shorts and a simple tank top. He went with his red silk pajama bottoms and a wife beater.

"Oh my god! He's half way through and he hasn't taken a breath yet!" Some random person on the sidelines exclaimed. Huey rolled his eyes ashamed of his piers for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

"I'm not about to sit here and watch some random guy drink himself into a coma. I have a book in my bag, if you need me I will be upstairs reading it." He didn't wait for her to speak, instead he turned his back and left up the stairs of the house and into the first bedroom he saw, Jazmines. He turned in the light flinching slightly at the pink fluffy objects.

"Whatever, I need the quiet" he sighed as he sat himself in the comfortable (pink) beanbag chair by the window. "Finally" he muttered opening his book to his last left off page.

_-_

_Thump_

Cindy gasped slightly as her footing was lost. Scaling the side of her best friend's house proved to be difficult. She knew it was a stupid act but she refused to worry Jasmine by showing up at the front door looking the way she did. Instead she decided to climb through her window and clean herself up there.

Imagine her surprise when the window opened before she could get to it and the handsome face of Huey Freeman poked out looking down at her with confusion in his wine colored eyes.

"Cindy?" He asked looking down at her "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Shhh" She hissed, "Shut the hell up and help me!" she snapped holding onto the vine she was climbing up for dear lofe with one hand and reaching up the other for him to take. He took her offered hand and yanked her through the window. Once on solid ground she fell to her knees shakily.

"Would you mind explaining or should I go get Jaz-,"

"NO!" she exclaimed jumping to her feet, running to the door, and closing it. "You aint telling Jazmine nothin'!"

"…Okay… Now that you have that out of your system, mind explaining why you were scaling the wall of Jazmines house when y-… what happened to your face?"

She gasped and turned away from him, "n-nothin'"

He walked over to her and roughly grabbed her face and turned it to himself, "bruised lips, a black eye, and other cuts and bruises I assume aren't only on your face doesn't classify as nothing" he said letting go of her face and walking back to the beanbag chair before plopping back down into it. He plucked his book off the ground and resumed his reading.

"It's nothing rea-"

"Where were you Cindy?" he asked glancing up at her.

"I was..."

"I thought you were at home, at least that's what you told Jazmine"

"I-I did go home"

"Then what could possibly happen at your house that…" he paused dropping his book and looked up at her with shocked, slightly concerned eyes, "who was there when you got there?"

"M-my step-dad" she said feeling the pricking of tears in the back of her eyes.

"He did this to you?"

Quietly she nodded feeling her knees go weak under her, she fell on them letting a few of her tears fall.

He stood and walked over to her quietly sobbing form and kneeling before it, "did he.."

She shook her head, "but that's only because I broke a lamp over his head before he could"

He nodded, "why didn't you go to the police?"

She scoffed, "They wouldn't believe me I already lied to them once on the subject"

"…lied..." realization took over his features fallowed closely by frustration, "you tried to get rid of him by telling the police he raped you."

She flinched at his slightly raised voice, "yes"

He sighed and kneeled before her, "have you ever even _heard _of the story of the boy who cried wolf?"

"I _know_ okay?" the Caucasian growled glaring up at her best friends crush, " I was stupid, and now there's nothing I can do about it."

They were left in a tense silence, Huey remained as stoic preferring not to show how concerned he was, while Cindy fidgeted and moved trying to make some kind of noise, any noise. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, she broke the silence.

"H-Huey?' she cleared her throat despising how timid she sounded, "Huey?" she asked a little more confidently.

"What?" he growled.

"Can I sit in your lap?"

He stared at her with shocked burgundy eyes, "excuse me?"

"I just want to feel safe, it's nothing sexual I swear!"

For a long moment he just stared at her, she could tell he was debating the pros and cons of the situation, "Fine." He said standing and walking over to the bed and leaning onto the wall. He beckoned her over after making himself comfortable.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to" she mumbled walking over to him.

"I really don't care either way" he muttered.

She gave him a soft smile knowing he was just hiding the fact he wanted to help, before settling into his lap. She rested her head on his left shoulder while her legs dangled off of his right thigh and off the bed. His strong arms wrapped around her petite waist to keep her from falling and leaned his head back to rest on the wall. You would think this would be a very intimate position but neither felt that way. Cindy felt she was being held by her brother, the kind of protection you could ever get from someone who really cared, and Huey, well… he was helping a friend… that's about it.

Soon both fell asleep completely forgetting about the party going on downstairs.

(An hour later)

"Hey Huey I… Oh _hell _no"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (Edited)

Hey Huey I….Oh_ Hell_ no."

Huey's eyes snapped open and he tried to stand but found a weight in his lap prevented him from doing so. Riley walked into his line of vision and plucked Cindy off of his brother's lap and laid her on the opposite side of the bed, being careful not to wake her. Then he turned to his now standing brother and threw a fierce punch at his face. Huey, who saw this coming even in his half asleep state caught the younger boys hand and turned him around. After this he roughly pushed the boy out of the room still holding his arm.

As soon as the door was closed he turned his brother around and covered his mouth, "nothing happened Riley."

Riley knocked the hand off of his mouth, "my ass nigga! You tapped the ass of yo brothas girl!" he paused seeming to realize what he just said before turning his heel and walking down the hall. He didn't know where he was going nor did he care, his brother was bound to catch his slipup. He had to get away before-

"Wait, what did you say?" Huey asked catching up with his brother. _Damn it_, Riley silently cursed, _damn him and his supercomputer brain_.

"I aint said nothin nigga!"

Huey paused, "you like her don't you?" the future revolutionary asked with the beginnings of a smirk on his face.

"No! Why would I want that bitch ass cracka?"

"Maybe because that 'bitch ass cracka', as you so crudely put it, is more black than most of the black people in Woodcrest"

Someone behind them groaned "Ugh ….Huey?"

Both boys' heads snapped in that direction. There stood Cindy rubbing her unbruised eye sleepily.

Riley stood speechless at her battered appearance, where did all of those cuts and bruises come from? "W-wha…" he watched as Huey made his way over to the strangely timid girl.

"Huey where'd you go? I had a dream about what happened… a-and when I woke up you weren't there" she sounded like a sleepy eight-year-old child scared of the boogey man.

"I'll be there in a second" Huey paused and glanced over his shoulder at his brother's confused face "can I tell Riley about what happened?" he asked looking back at her.

"I don't care as long as he doesn't tell Jazmine" she muttered through a yawn. With out further questioning she went back inside the room and shut the door behind her.

Huey turned to his brother, "Go to the guest room and wait there in a minute to explain" with that he entered the fluffy pink and purple room to offer his comfort for a short while.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Aiight man," Riley said as his brother entered the room, "explain"

Huey sighed as he sat next to Riley 'Esco' on the bed of the guest room, "First let me explain that nothing intimate happened between Cindy and me ok?"

Esco nodded, "I believe ya man, I jus ovah reacted ya know? I'm sorry I went off on ya like that" He held his fist out and let the elder hit it with his own. A moment of silence passed, "Any day now"

Huey nodded, slightly annoyed by his brothers impatience, and sighed, "what I'm about to tell you is serious, and you have to promise me you wont tell anyone, especially Jazmine, or hurt anyone no matter what they have done" he said pinning his brother with a serious look.

The future gangster nodded realizing that this was not something where he could just hit someone and was over. This was serious and would affect other people's lives and by the way his brother was looking at him it would take much more than a threat to make this go away. It took a lot to get _The_ Huey Freeman to actually show His concern.

"You know how Cindy's mother remarried after her real dad died?" he waited for Riley to nod before continuing, "did you ever like him?"

"Hell naw man, I mean he was always looking at me wit dem Michael Jackson eyes ya know?"

Huey blinked, "…_Michael Jackson_ eyes?"

"Yeah, you know, a grown man looking at 'chu like he wants ya" Riley nodded and looked up at his brother, "what's that got ta do wit dis?"

"He beat and tried to rape her"

Riley's eyes narrowed. That Michael Jackson wanna-be was a dead man if he had any say in it.

"I'll kill 'em" he growled standing only to get pulled back down by a strong calloused hand. He glared at the elder boy next to him in pure rage. "Huey, I love ya, you ma brotha. But if you don't let go of me right now I'mma rip your arm off."

"No! I told you, this wont go away just like that. We all will figure something out after she calms down"

"Fine."

"_Promise _me Riley."

"Alright, alright, I promise."

Huey sighed and let go of his brother, "Good."

"Why didn't she call da pigs? (Police)" Riley asked suddenly.

"They wouldn't believe her if she tried"

"Why not? She white aint she?"

"Yes but she already tried to go to them once and it didn't work out"

"Why not?"

"She was lying", Silence passed between the two as they contemplated on what to say. As the minutes passed the tension dissipated into nothing but a comfortable silence shared between brothers.

"So," the elder broke the silence with a smirk, "you like her uh?"

"Shut up"

"I mean its ok to like her. Interracial relationships are common en-"

"It aint yo business"

"I'm making it my business"

"Don't be up in the kool-aid wit out knowin the flava." There was a pause, just long enough for Riley to think he won.

"The 'flava' is vanilla" Huey smirked at his brother's frustrated face as the younger boy tried to come up with a comeback. After a few minutes Riley gave up and Huey smirked happy to triumph over the boy in their short siblings banter.

"Oh and by the way, she's waiting for someone to comfort her, I'm going to go downstairs so I officially give that job to you. Have fun and don't come on too strong" The laughter in his voice was enough to piss the younger freeman off that much more.

"Punk" Riley muttered at his brother's back just as he closed the door behind him.

The tension in the room returned and magnified itself as soon as that door closed. Riley began to shake like he was at the epicenter of an earthquake. His hands clenched into fists trying to steady himself. His short nails dug into the skin of his hand as he tried to calm his now ragged breathing. The only thing that kept him from sprinting to Cindy's house and committing 1st degree murder was his promise to Huey not to and the respect he held for the elder boy. So many times the future revolutionary saved him but one in particular one stuck out in his mind, back when he was friends with the dynamically dumb Ed and Rummy…

_Twelve year old Riley stood completely still as a placed directly onto his temple. _

"_E-Ed man I didn't do anything. I didn't touch yo stash! You aint really gon shoot me is you?" _

_Ed pressed the cold metal of the gun to the young boys' temple. This was the wrong time to talk to the man rationally. He always responded violently to heroin and Riley accidentally walked in on one of his sessions. "I don't know Riley, should I kill the person who was tryin to jack mY stash?" he clicked the safety off._

_Riley's chest constricted painfully, tight with fear, but it never showed on his handsome face. He kept his face steady as he glared at the bloodshot ones of his_ friend_. Silently he prayed to whatever God that listened to send someone to save him. He didn't believe in God, but only he could save him in a situation such as this. _

_The cold metal pressed harder against his temple and Ed's finger was steadly adding more pressure to the trigger. He had all but given up when…_

"_Riley?" _

_Brown and bloodshot blue eyes snapped in the door of Ed's room._

"_Huey! Look ou-," a gunshot rang through the room as both boys ducked behind their closest form of shelter. Huey ducked behind a overturned a table but didn't make it fast enough to come out unscathed. The bullet caught his shoulder cutting through the skin there. He didn't take notice, his focus was on the heroin induced man standing less than six feet away from him and blocking his view of his brother under the bed._

"_Come out and fight me!" Ed yelled aiming his gun at the overturned table across the wide room where our nappy haired hero hid._

_Riley couldn't see what happened from where he lay hidden, but apparently Huey did attack and Ed was down for the count within the minute._

_Young Reezy covered his head with his hands and shut his eyes as the gun hit the floor aiming directly at him. It was still tangled in the elder mans comatose fingers one of them just grazing the trigger. _

_Slowly he slid from his hiding space and looked at his brother who now stood a mere foot away from the fallen man. Anger was evident in his wine colored eyes as he glared down at the man placing pressure on his shoulder. All was silent in the room except for Huey's slightly ragged breaths._

"_Lets go" the elder growled suddenly leaving the room._

Riley closed his eyes reminiscing on that day. Huey always had his back whether he wanted it or not.

Finally after a few more moments of reminiscing he stood and walked down the hall to Jazmines room. He knocked twice before entering.

There on the bed was Cindy glaring at the vanity mirror across the room.

"Cindy?" he asked keeping his voice soft. She looked as if she was on the verge of a major breakdown.

"Hi Riley" she mumbled never releasing her glare.

"'ey you ok?" he asked stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Do I look ok?" she growled finally looking at him.

"Guess that was a stupid question."

"Yeah it was."

Riley sighed walking over to her and kneeling in front of her, " 'ey, Cin look I aint good at stuff like this but if you need ma comfort I'll be ovah derr" he nodded his head over to the computer chair across the room. With one more glance at her tear stained face he turned and walked across the room and plopped himself into the comfy chair.

Seconds passed between the two and neither moved. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into an hour. In the silence Riley's eyes began to droop and his brain began to doze off, pulling him into a light slumber.

A body unceremoniously plopping into his lap yanked him out of his dreamless sleep. He looked down from his superior height, there sat Cindy looking timid and uneasy, like he thought he would yell at her for her actions. He let a small warming smile grace his features as he pulled her closer to his chest and gripped her loosely around her waist as to prevent her from falling. She let her arms wrap around themselves and her head lay on his paneled chest. Their position was identical to how she and Huey were earlier but there was an intimacy there that she could never even _hope _to have with the elder Freeman.

No words passed between the two as they drifted into a comfortable dream filled sleep, contented in the others arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4(Edited)

_Five year old Huey stared at the broken body in front of him in fear and shock._

"…_momma…h-how-," he was cut off by the back of a mocha hand hitting the side of his cheek._

"_Did I tell you to speak?" she asked grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling his little body into the air until his eyes met her bloodshot green ones._

_He shook his head glancing briefly at the man that lay on the floor. The mans face was so broken and battered you couldn't tell at a glance that it was none other than Jason Devon Freeman, father to Huey and Riley Freeman._

"_Huey!" A voice called from across the room. "Jessica, put him down!"_

_Jessica growled and dropped her son, "Did I say you could come into my home, _Daddy_?"_

"_You ain't my daughter. You just the crazy woman my son knocked up." The elder man growled taking a step forward. Huey stared at the battered form of his father, too horrified by the sight in front of him to notice the metal object being pointed at him._

_Jessica chuckled, "oh? I thought our relationship we had was closer than that. I did after all, have _two_ of his children. And we did get married years ago."_

"_Yeah, back when you were sane!" at this exclamation Huey looked up and came face to face with the cold metal of a silver handgun. A gasp escaped his mouth, and he backed away until his back hit one of the four white walls of the small room. A soft click sounded the safety was turned off._

"_I made a family with that man! We promised to share our lives together and he repays me how?! By leaving me and taking my _worthless_ sons away from me! Their lives will amount to nothing without their mother, so why not save the world the trouble?" A smirk rose on her lips, "Starting with this one."_

"_Jessica NO!"_

_BANG!_

Huey sat up in his bed gasping for air. His heart raced as he glanced around his room rubbing his fore arm subconsciously. _She is not here Huey, she's in jail,. Calm down._ His heart began to slow as his mind became more aware of his surroundings.

"Huey?" The elder freeman jumped and looked over at the bed across from him. Riley sat upright, his face held worry for his brother. Nightmares were common for the elder Freeman but that didn't make it any less frightening to hear the usually stoic Huey Freeman screaming at the top of his lungs in his sleep. "Ey, Huey, man you okay?"

The future revolutionary nodded his head and laid back down with his back facing his younger brother, "Go back to sleep Riley. We have school tomorrow."

"Naw, tomorrows Saturday. You sure you okay Huey?" It wasn't like him to forget what day it was.

"I said I'm fine." Huey said curling his legs into his body.

"Can you at least tell me what yo dream was bout?"

"No."

"Come on! It can't be dat bad, prolly some ol bull sh bout-"

"It was about mom."

Riley blinked, "What chu dreamin bout dat bitch fo?"

Huey sighed yanking the covers off of his tired body. "I don't know Doctor Riley, why don't you tell me." He didn't wait for his brother to respond; instead he walked out of the room and down the stairs of their home to the living room searching for some type of peace.

His bare feet padded across the tile floor as he made his way to the kitchen. He was surching for it, he needed it… no… it's at the tree.

_Damn it_, he cursed silently.

"Boy."

Huey's eyes narrowed slightly but He didn't speak in fear of what he might say. Granddad always had a short fuse when he was awaken in the middle of the night.

"Sit down, I wanna talk ta ya bout somethin." The elder man sat down on one of the four bar stool set up in his kitchen. Huey remained standing with his back to his grand father. He didn't want to see hear or remember anything that was in his dream, Granddad was in that dream, though he never looked at him in the dream, looking at him now would only make it worse. That sickening feeling in his stomach built upon itself every time his grandfather spoke, made him want to do nothing more than fall to his knees and heave all of his troubles away, but he still had his dignity.

"Fine, don't sit, just let me talk." The elder man said after a minute. "Do you know why yo mother did what she did? It was because she's crazy." Huey began to rub his forearm subconsciously. "But you cant let her mistakes rule your life Huey."

_Bull,_ Huey's mind told him, _I can do exactly that without you ever knowing._

"It aint healthy to bottle up yo emotions boy, you need to talk to someone."

That did it, all of the future revolutionary's restraint broke and he ran to the sink and released the contents of his stomach to the drain. Granddad stood and walked over to his grandson. As the boy heaved he began to rub soothing circles into his back. This process went on for a few minutes until Huey finally collapsed onto the floor, completely spent.

Granddad sighed walking upstairs and waking his youngest grandson. "Riley, help me get your brother back up to his bed."

"Why? He can wake his lazy ass up and walk." Riley groaned rolling over.

"No he caint. He's unconscious."

Riley sighed and got out of bed. This has happened a few times before when the elder freeman was ten. He woke up in the middle of the night screaming, emptied his stomach, and passed out waking two days later acting like nothing happened. They thought he rid himself of it long ago, but now here he was, well into his teenage years, having the same dream and reacting the exact same way.

Once Huey was back in his bed he curled into a ball unconsciously rubbing the scar on his forearm. The scar the gunshot wound left in his mocha skin always reminding him of why he strived to learn as much as he possibly could. Why he _really _wanted to start a revolution.

"_Their lives will amount to nothing without their mother."_

He rolled over and erased the woman's voice from his mind. She was wrong. She was dead wrong, and he was going to prove it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5(Edited)

_Huey is really OOC in this chapter but you'll understand later... Enjoy._

Cindy groaned putting her head in her hands. Convincing Huey Freeman was like talking to a brick wall. Pointless. Absolutely pointless.

"But Huey you don't understand I-"

"No I don't think you understand. Grow a backbone and tell you mom about what's goin on."

"No! She won't understand! She'll think I'm making it up to get him out of the house."

There was silence and for the moment she prayed he gave up. He had been acting a lot more irritable lately, especially towards her, and it was starting to get to her.

Huey didn't even know how she ended up in his room, on his computer chair, complaining about how _her_ life was so horrible. It was a miracle he was listening, but his advice was too brash for her taste. She wanted her stepfather gone but that didn't mean she wanted to confront her mother about it, this annoyed him. He was going through enough in his own life, why should he help someone that didn't want his advice? Why didn't she go to her new 'Boo' Riley if she wanted the candy coated version of what he was saying?

Cindy's hand brushed over the makeup covered bruise on her cheek. It faded slightly and the swelling went down since the incident two weeks prior. Her eyes narrowed thinking about that day. He acted as if he didn't do anything now, but he knew. She could see it in his eyes, the lust, the want, and the pure unadulterated rage behind those dark irises, all directed specifically at her. She couldn't stand those looks he gave her any longer, which is why she came to Huey in the first place.

Large mocha hands encircled her wrists and roughly yanked them away from her face.

"How would you know her reaction if you don't tell her?" he growled icily. He threw her hands back into her lap and resumed his place on his bed.

Burgundy eyes watched as tears fell down milky cheeks. Though he should feel bad for making her cry he just couldn't find it in himself to care. Who was she to be upset about things she can change? She didn't get shot at by her mother. She didn't watch her father die in front of her eyes.

"You don't know what its like." Cindy growled glaring into liquid wine orbs with heated electric blue. She let a humorless chuckle fall from her lips, "You probably don't even know your parents."

Something in him snapped, his eyes narrowed and his body went rigid and before she knew what happened the collar if her light yellow Sean John shirt was yanked into a mocha fist and she was thrust into a wall. A shiver ran down her spine at the heated gaze Huey held her with.

"You don't know anything about my family or my parents. Don't pretend you do _Cindy._ I suggest you never mention them again" With that she was unceremoniously dropped to the floor with a grunt. When she looked up he was gone.

A loud crash made her flinch and try to blend into the wall she was leaning on. Shame and regret washed through her making her want to get up and run after her afro clad friend, but fear held her in place. Fear of what he might do to her in his rage.

Suddenly Riley was at her side checking her over for any bodily harm, "Cin, you aight?"

She brushed his hands away, "Yeah." She looked down silently trying to end the conversation. She soon realized that wasn't going to happen when Riley took her cheek in his calloused fingertips and gently turned her face to his. She turned her eyes away from his probing emerald irises in shame.

"Cindy what did you say to Huey." His slang dissapeared. Never a good sign.

Cindy glanced into his eyes before tears fell from hers for the second time. They held that gaze for a minute before Riley spoke again.

"Cindy please, this is important." He took her by her shoulders to keep her in place. "What did you say? You know Huey never looses his cool, but whatever you said made him throw granddads favorite mug into a picture in the hallway."

"Was that picture one of your family by any chance?"

Riley cursed under his breath, "Cindy _what did you say_!"

"I said that I didn't know why I came to him for advice because…" She paused and knocked his hands off of her shoulders so she could stand. She closed her eyes and took a slow moderately calming breath, "Because he probably didn't know you guy's parents."

Riley cursed, louder this time, "Damn it!" she opened her eyes and he was inches from her face with those intense green eyes, "Do you have any-"

"Boy!" Riley flinched, glared at Cindy one last time before he walked out of the room.

Heated words passed between the two Freeman men until Riley got around to telling his grandfather what happened.

"Where did he go?" This was the first time Cindy ever heard concern in the elder mans voice. Maybe this situation held more to it then she expected.

"Where do you think?" Riley growled.

There was a pause, "Get his dumb black ass back here._ Now_."

The sound of hurried footsteps going down the stairs of the Freeman home filled Cindy's ears fallowed by the front door slamming.

"Lil White Girl." Cindy's ears perked at Granddad's voice directed at her from the hall. "Go home; you don't want to see what happens when they get back." She nodded her head despite the fact that he couldn't see her and stood. She had a lot of thinking to do.

-

Huey stalked up the hill to his usual hang out spot, there in the cool grass sat Jazmine fiddling with a small flower she probably picked on her way up.

He walked by her without even his usual curt nod and stood at the base of the tree, vaguely aware of her standing out of the corner of his eye. He took a step forward and reached for a low branch nearby.

Jazmine watched as her best guy friend and future revolutionary make his ascent up the old tree, branch by branch. Eventually he stopped halfway to the top and reached in a hole that resigned there. When he pulled back his hand a small flat tin box was in it, with it he began his descent to the ground once again.

"Huey?" she asked curiously as his feet hit the ground.

Huey lifted his eyes from the tin box in his hands to the young lady not four feet from him.

"Huey, are you ok?" she asked not liking the way his eyes scanned her until they met with her emerald green irises. A gasp escaped her eyes at the tears that stood boldly in his wine eyes but never fell, the heat in his gaze was unimaginable.

"Huey!"

Riley and Caesar ran up the hill stopping a foot from Huey, paying no attention to the shell-shocked girl behind them.

"Huey, man put down the box." Riley said reaching for it. Huey voicelessly snatched it away and shook his head stubbornly vaguely reminding Jazmine of a shy five year old clinging to his lunchbox.

"Huey, don't do it. You know what happens!" Caesar took a step forward arm outstretched, "It aint worth it. Gimme the box."

Huey was physically shaking now, "No." He backed away before turning and running back down the hill towards town.

"Shit!" Riley exclaimed running after his rogue brother fallowed shortly by Caesar.

Jazmine stood confused as the three teenage boys ran. Riley tackled his brother to the ground tying to grasp at the mysterious tin box only to get kicked off. Huey scrambled to his feet again before Caesar could get to him and sprinted into town with Caesar and Riley not too far behind.

Jazmine watched this whole ordeal with confused green eyes. Soon the three teens were out of sight and she turned to walk down the hill to her home still contemplating on what just took place.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Chapter six

According to Sigmund Freud the human mind is made up of three layers, the Ego, the Id, and the Super Ego. Only the ego is visible or on the surface, while the id and the superego remain below, but each has its own effects on the personality, nonetheless. The Id is the source of two primal instincts: the pleasure principle, and Thanatos. The pleasure principle is exactly as it sounds, the want for anything that is pleasurable to the body. Thanatos or the "death instinct," is the violent urges that all humans get at one point or another in their lives. The one that buzzes in the back of their mind every time your irritated or angry.

So what did addiction have to do with these "primal instincts?" Nothing? Everything?

Huey sat in a chair in the dining room of his home. It wasn't fair. He was so close to that sweet numb that he hadn't felt in years, why did they have to take it from him? Because they loved him? Hah! If they loved him they wouldn't want him to be in the pain he was in. If they loved him they would let him do it, just that once. Just to end his misery, if only for a few minutes.

Riley and Caesar stood at the exits of the room blocking him if he decided to make a run for it. Granddad sat at the other end of the table, a scowl seemingly permanently tattooed into his features.

The room was silent, the tension threatening to choke those in the small kitchen.

Finally it was broken, but the slow angry words seemed to only ad to the tension, "Have you lost your mind?"

Huey didn't look up at his grandfathers words. His eyes remained glued to the floor tracing the dark swirls in the wooden planks. They swirled like the smoke would swaying gently in the breeze below his special tree. His hands twitched slightly, the urge to breathe in that sweet smoke again.

"Huey-" Something snapped. Huey jumped up out of his chair and made a mad sprint towards the door. Caesar caught him by his arms and dragged him back towards the chair paying no mind to how the boy kicked and screamed to be set free.

"Caesar, man, let me go _please_." The sudden whisper pulled at his friends heart strings but still he refused to let his friend go free.

"This is for your own good." A swift hit to the neck and Huey's world went black.

_Sorry its so short guys but I have absolutely no time to do this with school and all. R&R please! I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible._


	7. Chapter 7

Three weeks.

It had been three excruciatingly long weeks since she saw him last, and she was slowly going insane.

Jazmine stared at the Freeman home from her bedroom window. It stood silent and daunting, as if the feelings of the inhabitants manifested itself and spread like a fog out and around the threshold.

How she worried for her friend, the eldest of the two Freeman brothers. The last time she saw him fear and need bleached his features and she had no idea why. No one told her, she was left in the dark as the boy she considered to be her best friend went through God knows what and she was powerless to help.

All she could do was stare, praying something _anything_ would happen…. No, she was going to do something. She was going to help her friend by any means necessary.

With determination in her eyes she stood and made her way downstairs. _I'm going to do this,_ she thought confidently as she placed her hand on the door knob.

"Jazmine! Dinners ready!." Her mother called.

_I'm going to do this at school tomorrow_ she thought confidently changing her course to the kitchen.

Hey, a girl has to eat.

**Next day**

Jasmine stood outside the boys locker room patently waiting for her victim. A flash of dreadlocks and chocolate skin alerted her of his arrival. Not five feet from her stood Caesar, Huey's best friend, and he was also there the last time she saw the boy in question. Surely he would know about the mysterious disappearance of the boy. She walked up behind the dreadlock clad boy and glared white hot daggers into the back of his head. He would feel it eventually, maybe after she burned a hole through his skull.

_Uh oh_ Caesar thought suddenly, his entire body going rigid, _my pissed off broad senses are tingling._

_Good, he's feeling it_ she smirked slightly as he turned. "Get your wannabe Edgar David looking ass over there _now_," she hissed the minute his eyes met hers, pointing to a more secluded area near a tree nearby.

He bowed his head, breaking eye contact, and headed in the direction she pointed. He had no idea why _Jazmine_ of all people was so infuriated with him, but by the look in her eyes she was going to find out fairly soon.

"Where. Is. Huey." These were the first words that left her mouth. Her tone held no space for dancing around the subject, she was very serious and extremely worried.

"U-um…"

Was it his place to tell her? No, it wasn't. Was she going to kill him slowly and painfully if he didn't? Quite possibly. "Jazmine, its not-" a small feminine hand gripping his groin painfully cut off any sentence that made tried to make its way out of his mouth.

"No, I don't think you understand _Michael_," she hissed digging her nails into the thin jersey material of his shorts, "either you tell me, _or,_ I will castrate you and place your pretty little private parts in a jar above my fireplace." She accented her point by giving he nether regions another hard squeeze making him whimper. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," he whispered.

"What was that?" she asked digging her nails a little further.

"Yes!" He cried like the girl he would be if she decided to fallow through with her threat.

"Now, explain."

Caesar took a breath trying to ignore the fact that this girl literally had him by the balls. "Huey has… problems."

"What kind of problems?"

"He's a addict, … to cocaine specifically."

Jazmine blinked, "Your lying." She growled adding more pressure to her hold.

"N-no! I swear!" He cried, "do you remember the tin box he had the last time you saw him?"

_Eventually he stopped halfway to the top and reached in a hole that resigned there. When he pulled back his hand a small flat tin box was in it, with it he began his descent to the ground once again._

"_Huey?" she asked curiously as his feet hit the ground._

_Huey lifted his eyes from the tin box in his hands to the young lady not four feet from him._

"_Huey, are you ok?" she asked not liking the way his eyes scanned her until they met with her emerald green irises. A gasp escaped her at the tears that stood boldly in his wine eyes but never fell, the heat in his gaze was unimaginable._

"Yes," She whispered flinching away from the still fresh memory.

"Those were his supplies," he sighed, " Riley and I were trying out damndest to get if from him. He's been clean for so long, the relapse came out of nowhere."

Her breathing became more labored, "Huey…..Huey _Freeman_, is a crack addict? How is that possible?"

"I assure you its very possible."

She shook her head, "This better not be another one of you dumb ass jokes Michael." She growled squeezing a bit harder before letting him go. She stared straight into his eyes before turning and stepping away.

"Jazzy, where are you going?"

"I'm going to go help my friend."

"Jazmine, school isn't over yet, you-"

"Who's going to stop me?" she turned her heel and glared him down, daring him to try.

"What about the proctors?"

"If they so much as lay a hand on me, I will have my daddy sue them into their graves."

"Are you really that determined?"

She smirked and turned once again, "You have no idea."

Caesar felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine at her tone like a trickle of ice water. _What happened to the innocent happy-go-lucky Jazmine Dubois I used to know and love?_

**Two hours later**

Jasmine stood in front of the Freeman threshold determination burning in her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see someone peaking out of the window, not enough for her to see whom the person actually was, but she didn't have to see to know who it was. Riley was at school, and didn't dare leave for fear of their grandfathers wrath. Granddad himself never entered the boys room unless someone was dying.

"I'm coming up there whether you want me to or not Huey." She growled under her breath before making her way to the front door. She didn't knock but entered on her own accord. She didn't pay attention to Granddad who was sleeping on the couch, instead she made her way upstairs and into the Freeman boys bedroom.

There he sat, by the window curled into himself as if everything in the world was out to get him. She wouldn't have been shocked if he actually believed this at that point.

"Huey." She said catching his attention.

"…" No reply.

"Huey please-" her voice broke as tears fought to the surface, "I need to hear your voice, just please talk to me."

"…" still nothing.

Desperate to hear his voice again she practically sprinted across the room and threw her arms around him. All she wanted was a reaction, something that told her that this broken figure she held was indeed the Huey Freeman she grew up with. A growl of her name, a indignant grunt, _something_. Tears fell from her eyes as she began to shake the boy, pleading that he would snap out of it, become the boy she grew to know and love once again.

Still no reaction. She wasn't even sure he was breathing anymore.

A soft chuckle caught her attention.

"Huey?"

He continued to laugh before looking up at her, "Yes?" with this he burst into another fit of giggles.

_Oh god_, she glanced around herself. Something was shining on the desk. Quickly she got up and made her way over, praying she wasn't right.

A small plastic tube greeted her, and a small clear bag filled with little white rocks. _Oh god_. She took a breath and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello Caesar?"

**Yay!!! Chapter 7!!!!!! R&R!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

Huey sat as his high dissipated and he was in the real world once more. To his right Jazmine sat cross-legged, glaring white-hot daggers into his skull. She was beyond angry, no words could describe the look she was giving him. Livid comes close, but still the word didn't compare.

Caesar stood to his right at the entrance of the room leaning on the door and rubbing his temples with one hand. The other boy was stressed, far too stressed for someone his age. It saddened Huey immediately that he was the cause of this stress.

In front of him sat Riley in the computer chair, elbows on his knees staring at him intently. Surprisingly not many emotions showed on the usually expressive young Freeman's face but discontent rolled off of him in waves. This worried the elder Freeman slightly, He hadn't ever seen any of his friends or his brother like this… was this all really his fault?

Huey suddenly felt trapped, trapped behind the bars of their anger and disappointment.

"He's sober." Caesar muttered suddenly standing and walking over to his friend. Riley stood as well but Jazmine remained seated. Riley was the first to reach Huey and the elder Freeman watched him with a weary eye… that is until a hard fist nearly broke his jaw. The younger Freeman was about to hit him again but Caesar's arms restraining him stopped any more abuse.

"Man, lemme _go_!" Riley screamed struggling to land another punch on his brother.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Caesar growled in a strangled voice.

"He's what's wrong wit me!" Riley screamed. "Don't ask me what's wrong wit me when Mr. Crackhead over here is trying to mess wit his and our lives!"

"I don't know what your talking about." Huey's rasped through his now throbbing jaw, his voice seemed to snatch every sound out of the air.

The tense silence was deafening, the emotions of the people caught in it seemed to manifest itself into a mist. The mist swirled in the air of the room as the occupants choked on its foul taste.

"What do you mean you don't _know_?" Riley hissed breaking the silence.

Huey didn't reply, his frazzled mind was still trying to comprehend what was happening.

Riley shook his head and snatched himself from Caesars hold, but he didn't attack his brother again. Instead he pivoted and left the room with Caesar close behind him.

Jazmine, through this whole emotional display, remained silent. Quietly watching as a bystander would. She didn't move save for each life maintaining breath. The glare she held when Huey's stupor dissipated was still there if not more molten than before.

Huey turned to her as the door of his room slammed shut. He was expecting a slap to the face, or some other kind of infliction of pain as his brother did.

She did nothing.

"Your not going to say anything?" He asked not liking how the usually bubbly Jazmine Dubois was stoic. She held no emotion on her face, no sparkle in her eye, no smile on her lips. His chest constricted painfully with emotion he refused to show.

"Why?"

Such a simple question, but it held so many complicated answers. He could always lie, just say he didn't know and leave it at that… but for some reason… he didn't want to. So he remained silent, not wanting her to know the truth either.

Tears began to fall from her eyes, but her features still held no emotion. Had it not been for the physical manifestation, he wouldn't have been able to tell she was feeling anything at all.

"Answer me!" he voice came in a slightly angered monotone and a spark lit like a single match behind her eyes when in reality an inferno was burning. A match was all she let through he barrier; her tears, a sliver of the anger she actually felt, and her curiosity on the matter.

"…"

Still he refused to speak, mesmerized by this new Jazmine. One that held her emotions back instead of letting them all go free like the old Jazmine did… and yet he found himself missing the old happy-go-lucky girl that branded herself on his icy heart, though he would never admit it.

A small feminine hand striking him across his face brought his mind back to the present.

_She just… slapped me…?_ His mind processed slowly as she turned and walked over to his desk. When she returned a small bag of rocks was pinched in between her thumb and index finger. When she returned she shoved it into his face angrily.

"_This_ is what your wasting your life on?" She asked shaking the bag in front of his face, "a bag of rocks?"

"…Why do _you_ care?" He asked suddenly.

"Because I'm your Friend! I love you and you don't seem to understand how much it hurts me and everyone else around you when you do this to yourself!"

"What do you know about hurt?" He hissed meeting her glare with his own, it startled her for a moment but she bounced right back.

Jazmine shook off his comment with a shake of her head, "_This_," she held up the bag, then pointed between him and herself, "it's not about me. My life is not going to hell and back because I decided I wanted to feel good for a few minutes."

He was silent again.

She shook her head, willing any more tears back behind her eyes, "You know what? Your just like them."

"Just like who?"

"Them! The men that…" she closed her mouth and turned away from his curious stare, "Never mind."

Huey stood and made his way over to her curiosity swimming in his wine pools, "Jazmine?" He touched her wrist only to have the other hand come up and slap him across the face for the second time.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed backing up. The tears were gone and she fixed him with an arctic glare. "My life is not the concern here. I've dealt with that problem and its over with. But _you_… you don't seem to get that whatever happened to you, whatever made you relapse, is going to eat you alive from the inside out until you deal with it properly." She held up the little bag, "this is not dealing with it properly."

With the bag still in hand she turned and began to walk towards the door. As she reached for the knob a rasped voice called out to her.

"Where are you going with it?" Huey asked taking a step towards her.

"I'm showing you how to deal with it. Starting with getting rid of the crap." Jazmine chucked as she opened the door and exited. Halfway down the hall she paused seeming to remember something and returned to the doorway, "You know? For a guy who cares so much about health… You have a fucking great way of showing it."

With one final sarcastic chuckle she left leaving a dumbfounded Huey in her wake.

*~* Three Days Later*~*

Tom Dubois hummed to himself as he cleaned the living room of his home. There was nothing like cleaning to clear your mind.

He chuckled to himself as he noticed Jazmines pink and black checkered purse. He was so proud of is daughter. She was such a intelligent young woman now, and he knew he could trust her.

He lifted her purse and tossed it on the couch for her to pick up later. Just as he dropped it as he dropped it a small clear bag dropped onto the floor. Curiously he picked it up and immediately recognized the substance inside.

Just then the young Dubois decided to make her way downstairs calling his name.

"Daddy! Have you seen my pu…" she halted as she saw the object her father was holding in the air.

Tom took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

She bit her lip, "It is what you think it is daddy, b-but daddy I swear I-"

He held up a hand to silence her, "How long have you had this?"

"Since Monday."

His eyes widened in realization, "You lied to me? You said you skipped school because you were worried about Huey!"

She flinched at the mention future revolutionary's name, "I-I was!"

"Then where did it come from?" The older man hissed.

"…" She was trapped, she couldn't tell her father about Huey's situation, he may not let her see him again… but she couldn't let him think she was doing it herself.

"Stop trying to come up with a lie and tell me the truth Jazmine! Where did this come from?"

That was it, Jazmine made her decision. She let her shoulders droop, "I-I'm sorry Daddy."

Tom took a step back shock sending waves of electricity up his spine. He mentally pinched himself praying that it all was a nightmare. His innocent daughter wasn't a crack addict, and he was curled up against his wife in his bed. He would wake up from his nightmare any second now…

No… It wasn't a dream, he was really watching his daughter cry, and he was really holding a bag of crack rocks in between his fingers.

He dropped the offending bag and wrapped his arms around his daughter trying to comfort himself just as much as he was trying to comfort her.


End file.
